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Are these the scariest things in your house?

With the boom in big spiders this autumn, we reveal MFMers’ best spider survival tips and which ones really do bite

We can’t help but notice that giant spiders are everywhere at the moment. Running across our carpets or hiding in curtains – either you’re absolutely terrified or completely nonplussed.

The problem is that by the autumn, spiders have reached maturity in their life-cycle so they’re about as big as they’re going to get. And thanks to the warm summer and mild autumn, they are exceptionally big this year.

Plus we heard earlier this week about a 4-year-old girl, Elle, who was apparently bitten by a spider in a house in Birmingham. When her leg swelled up, a rash spread all over her body and she developed a high temperature, her parents called an ambulance. Luckily the ambulance team managed to settle Elle's condition and she's fine now. Although the culprit hasn't been caught, the doctors confirmed it was probably a large spider.

So we’ve decided to get to the bottom of the 8-legged problem.

Should you be scared?

Well, all spiders are venomous, but the good news is they don’t generally bite humans, and of Britain’s 600 spider species, only 6 actually have fangs big enough to nip you. If you’re unlucky enough to be bitten, it feels like a wasp sting, according to the Guardian.

The most common house spiders and daddy long-legs are not very likely to bite.

False-widow spiders are a glossy black colour and can give you a nip, but only if you pick them up between finger and thumb.

Cellar spiders have long bottle-green fangs and can deliver a painful bite – but are rare. They are most common in London and Bristol.

The woodlouse spider has long red fangs and can give a painful bite if handled.

How can you deter them?

Conkers – placed around the house, there’s also an argument for crushing them. However, one mum Jessica explained "We tried conkers and then a big spider walked right over it so I guess they do not work!"

If you can't deter them, how do you get rid of spiders?

Top answers for getting rid of unwanted spiders were…

The hoover

The cat

Toilet paper

Or of course you can just let them be. They do catch flies after all!

So have you seen any big spiders around recently? What do you do about them? Or are you happy to just let them be? Let us know in the comments below!